Overview

Unlit Corners endeavours to bring light to neglected character traits which many struggle to overcome. Filled with relevant case studies and carefully crafted psychoanalytic theory, the book elucidates the multilayered nature of such psychopathologies and its treatment. Beginning in the public realm, Nina Savelle-Rocklin explores the complex meaning of 'dirtiness,' both literally and figuratively, relating it the body, mind, and language. Ann Smolen's investigation of miserliness follows, where she emphasizes that it is not about money, but instead arises from the poverty of internal good objects, which are the basic source of generosity. Jerome Blackman examines the nuanced potential meanings of shyness using psychopathology and underlying etiology, while Lois Choi-Kain deftly categorizes outrageousness into three types: a guilt driven masochist, a hope-driven optimist, and a hate-driven sadist, with a subcategory for creative writers and artists The more private traits start with shallowness. Michael Civin develops 'shallow' as a general construct and studies it from a psychoanalytic perspective, arguing that no human being can be described accurately as shallow. The Kayatekins come next with their study of indecisiveness and the role of the ego as a way of understanding this trait. Nilofer Kaul looks at 'restlessness' and its associations in psychoanalysis, literature, and culture. The final chapter comes from Salman Akhtar on the subject of cowardliness, where he links it to the lack of self protective devices emanating from breeches in the early mother–child bond and deficient identification with the same-sex parent. This book is highly recommended to clinicians to give them the tools to not only understand and empathize with their patient's struggles but also to enhance their capacity to help them overcome such struggles. AUTHOR: Salman Akhtar, MD, was born in India and completed his medical and psychiatric education there. Upon arriving in the USA in 1973, he repeated his psychiatric training at the University of Virginia School of Medicine, and then obtained psychoanalytic training from the Philadelphia Psychoanalytic Institute. Currently, he is Professor of Psychiatry at Jefferson Medical College and a training and supervising analyst at the Psychoanalytic Center of Philadelphia. He has authored, edited or co-edited more than 300 publications including books on psychiatry and psychoanalysis and several collections of poetry. He is also a Scholar-in-Residence at the Inter-Act Theatre Company in Philadelphia. Salman Akhtar received the Sigourney Award in 2012.

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9781800132573

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Reviews

‘This original book provides rich discussions of eight clinically common but suboptimally addressed character traits. Each of its essays helps the reader gain better understanding of one such trait, increased empathy for the emotional difficulties underlying it, and improved capacity to deal effectively with it in the clinical situation.’ -- LENA EHRLICH, PsyD, FABP, Faculty Member, Michigan Psychoanalytic Institute Author of Psychoanalysis from Inside Out: Developing and Sustaining an Analytic Identity and Practice ‘Despite the interest shown in the topic by Freud and the early analysts, the notion of the “character-trait” has been somewhat underrepresented in our literature, making Salman Akhtar’s edited contribution all the more timely. Impressive in its range of approach and clinical insights, Unlit Corners is crucial reading for clinicians and researchers alike who seek illumination for some of the most ubiquitous and aetiologically obscure facets of human subjectivity.’ -- TOM DEROSE, Research Director, Freud Museum London ‘Dr Akhtar has never been shy of shedding light on unlit corners of our field. Here he has, once again, brought together a group of distinguished contributors to offer a decisive and deep analysis of eight challenging human traits. It is a comprehensive exploration, executed humbly, that both settles and prods our curiosity about these realms.’ -- GURMEET KANWAL, MD, Clinical Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York; Faculty Member and Supervising Analyst, William Alanson White Institute, New York

‘This original book provides rich discussions of eight clinically common but suboptimally addressed character traits. Each of its essays helps the reader gain better understanding of one such trait, increased empathy for the emotional difficulties underlying it, and improved capacity to deal effectively with it in the clinical situation.’ -- LENA EHRLICH, PsyD, FABP, Faculty Member, Michigan Psychoanalytic Institute Author of Psychoanalysis from Inside Out: Developing and Sustaining an Analytic Identity and Practice ‘Despite the interest shown in the topic by Freud and the early analysts, the notion of the “character trait” has been somewhat underrepresented in our literature, making Salman Akhtar’s edited contribution all the more timely. Impressive in its range of approaches and clinical insights, Unlit Corners is crucial reading for clinicians and researchers alike who seek illumination for some of the most ubiquitous and aetiologically obscure facets of human subjectivity.’ -- TOM DEROSE, Research Director, Freud Museum London ‘Dr Akhtar has never been shy of shedding light on unlit corners of our field. Here he has, once again, brought together a group of distinguished contributors to offer a decisive and deep analysis of eight challenging human traits. It is a comprehensive exploration, executed humbly, that both settles and prods our curiosity about these realms.’ -- GURMEET KANWAL, MD, Clinical Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York; Faculty Member and Supervising Analyst, William Alanson White Institute, New York

Author Information

Salman Akhtar, MD, is Professor of Psychiatry at Jefferson Medical College and a Training and Supervising Analyst at the Psychoanalytic Center of Philadelphia.  He has served on the editorial boards of the International Journal of Psychoanalysis, the Journal of the American Psychoanalytic Association, and the Psychoanalytic Quarterly. His more than 400 publications include 105 books, of which the following 22 are solo-authored: Broken Structures (1992), Quest for Answers (1995), Inner Torment (1999), Immigration and Identity (1999), New Clinical Realms (2003), Objects of Our Desire (2005), Regarding Others (2007), Turning Points in Dynamic Psychotherapy (2009), The Damaged Core (2009), Comprehensive Dictionary of Psychoanalysis (2009), Immigration and Acculturation (2011), Matters of Life and Death (2011), The Book of Emotions (2012), Psychoanalytic Listening (2013), Good Stuff (2013), Sources of Suffering (2014), No Holds Barred (2016), A Web of Sorrow (2017), Mind, Culture, and Global Unrest (2018), Silent Virtues (2019), Tales of Transformation (2021), and In Leaps and Bounds (2022).  Dr Akhtar has delivered many prestigious invited lectures including a Plenary Address at the 2nd International Congress of the International Society for the Study of Personality Disorders in Oslo, Norway (1991), an Invited Plenary Paper at the 2nd International Margaret S. Mahler Symposium in Cologne, Germany (1993), an Invited Plenary Paper at the Rencontre Franco-Americaine de Psychanalyse meeting in Paris, France (1994), a Keynote Address at the 43rd IPA Congress in Rio de Janiero, Brazil (2005), the Plenary Address at the 150th Freud Birthday Celebration sponsored by the Dutch Psychoanalytic Society and the Embassy of Austria in Leiden, Holland (2006), the Inaugural Address at the first IPA-Asia Congress in Beijing, China (2010), and the Plenary Address at the Fall Meetings of the American Psychoanalytic Association in 2017.  Dr Akhtar is the recipient of numerous awards including the American Psychoanalytic Association’s Edith Sabshin Award (2000), Columbia University’s Robert Liebert Award for Distinguished Contributions to Applied Psychoanalysis (2004), the American Psychiatric Association’s Kun Po Soo Award (2004) and Irma Bland Award for being the Outstanding Teacher of Psychiatric Residents in the country (2005). He received the highly prestigious Sigourney Award (2012) for distinguished contributions to psychoanalysis. In 2103, he gave the Commencement Address at graduation ceremonies of the Smith College School of Social Work in Northampton, MA.  Dr Akhtar’s books have been translated in many languages, including German, Italian, Korean, Romanian, Serbian, Spanish, and Turkish.  A true Renaissance man, Dr Akhtar has served as the Film Review Editor for the International Journal of Psychoanalysis, and is currently serving as the Book Review Editor for the International Journal of Applied Psychoanalytic Studies. He has published 11 collections of poetry and serves as a Scholar-in-Residence at the Inter-Act Theatre Company in Philadelphia.  

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